A Texan conservative Anglican -- yes, a square peg -- ponders both churchly and worldly things and enjoys his new church.

Friday, June 29, 2012

A Few More Obamacare Ruling Links

I’ve given more
sanguine views a hearing as reflected in my linkfest yesterday.But I am convinced that, whatever his
motives, John Roberts’ Obamacare ruling is an absurd and dangerous expansion of
federal power.Ace of Spades
captures that very well:

It wasn't a tax for purposes of getting it passed politically, also
wasn't a tax for purposes of delaying judgment based on the Anti-Injunction
Act, but then magically became a tax in order to be upheld.

Allah[pundit] considered a similar question yesterday: Whether the
government could put a punitive tax on you for owning a gun. Gun ownership is a right, he thought, so the
ObamaTax logic wouldn't fully apply. You can't burden a right.

Well, owning a gun is a right, but not owning a gun is not a right. Or at least it's no more
of a right than not owning
insurance.

We can pass a great many laws like this, enforcing our preferences in
any area that isn't an explicit (or penumbra-ish) right under the Constitution.

Don't go to Church regularly? Why, we can tax that. And before you say
it's your right not to go to church -- of course it is, but we can compel all
Americans to spend at least two hours each week on philosophical contemplation,
whether it be at church or in Quiet Home Study of non-religious philosophical
texts.

If a temporary majority in Congress thinks it's a good idea -- tax
away!

The Constitution apparently gives the government the right to dictate
almost all of our personal choices, so long as it enforces these preferences
via punitive taxes. So let's get started.

And here is Ed
Morrissey having some fun with Roberts’ ruling with a Modest Proposal.

But do not think it is
all wine and roses between conservatives and the Republicans. Ace again goes yard with a blunt (language warning) open letter to the
GOP, “Dear GOP: You get one more chance.”

And that is my
sentiment as well, which I intend to spell out in due time.

By the way, expect a fight next year in the Senate over reconciliation. I expect that will be how repeal passes.

Initial polling does not look good for Obama on this subject. I find a Survey USA poll of Florida
particularly notable: Voters disagree
with the court 50/39, 47% expect their health care to get worse while only 20%
expect it to improve, and 51% think it will get more expensive, too. Only
6% of Florida seniors expect health-care costs to decline, while 44% expect
costs to rise.